moocs news

Some three years after the first U.S. MOOC was launched to great fanfare, massive open online courses are becoming part of the higher-ed mainstream. Some of the largest Canadian universities are expanding their course offerings and applying the lessons they learn to the benefit of paying, on-campus students.

McGill’s initial experiment with Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, has been a success and the first offering, Food for Thought, will be repeated next year. More than 32,000 people from 160 countries, with an average age of 35 (a bit younger than normal) signed up for the MOOC. Almost 1,800 people completed all elements of the course, and another 7,000 people completed at least one assignment or test.